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About the UW Graduate School

We believe in the transformative power of graduate education.

For the University of Washington Graduate School, students are our purpose and our source of strength. Serving over 17,000 graduate students and supporting 300 graduate programs across our three campuses, we deliver inclusive programming, community events, professional and intellectual development resources and funding opportunities.

By providing students with a fundamental framework and support system, they have the space and agency to focus on their education. In turn, their research drives the pace of innovation across Washington State and beyond. In 2023, the UW’s economic impact on the State of Washington was $21 billion, generated in large part because of graduate students and their work.

 

Message from Dean Williamson-Lott

Graduate education is much more than a degree. It is a public good – a force for societal progress and the production and advancement of knowledge.

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Our Mission, Vision and Values

Our Mission, Vision and Values

We believe in the transformative power of graduate education. At the Graduate School, we champion inclusive excellence across the university, partner with academic units to deliver high quality degree programs and provide direct-to-student support to nurture and empower the next generation of leaders, researchers and innovators.

To advance the public good through the power of graduate education.

  • Partnership and collaboration: We believe that working together fosters stronger problem-solving, drives innovation and builds authentic community.
  • Continuous learning: We support one another with grace and encouragement as we grow both individually and collectively in our roles.
  • Inclusive excellence: We seek out and include varied perspectives to achieve our best work, recognizing that diversity drives success.
  • Respect and trust: We cultivate a community grounded in openness, clear communication, civility and collegiality.
  • Agility: We pivot, adapt and elevate our approaches to proactively support graduate students and enhance graduate education.

UW Graduate School Leadership

Our Strategic Priorities

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Our Students Are Our Strength

UW graduate students are making a difference every day, below is a selection of our favorite stories, or you can check out the complete collection of grad student and alumni profiles.

Lamar Foster

How a Childhood Lesson on Identity Led to a Career in Advocacy and Data Science
Doctoral Students
Education

Mayuree Binjolkar

Mayuree Binjolkar is this year's Three Minute Thesis Winner for her work on investigating sequential decision-making as part of overall car driving…
Postdoctoral Fellows
Engineering

Enrique Saldarriaga

Enrique won the Graduate School's Three-Minute Thesis Competition for his work on mathematical modeling of infectious diseases.
Doctoral Students
Public Health